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Making Health a Priority

A couple weeks ago my husband and I took a much-needed vacation. We closed out a hectic summer with 6 days up at camp (that’s Maine-speak for lake house). And these 6 days were anything but hectic. We made no real plans and took each day as it came. Drizzle on Thursday? No big deal, we’ll head out on a hike. (First time for our pup, Murray, and he was a legend!) Sunshine daydream on Friday? We’ll lounge around on the paddle boards. (Another first for Murray. Another domination.) Overcast on Sunday morning? I’ll do some yoga while he watches the Arsenal game. The only thing we had to schedule was when we would hit up the local farmers’ markets.

At the end of those 6 days I felt like a new person. Prior to vacation, I was feeling exhausted, uninspired and crotchety. I didn’t realize how much doing nothing would help. After an over-scheduled 4 months, summer’s periphery was begging me to slow down.

It took pumping the brakes on my frenetic summer life to see that I wasn’t living the healthiest version of myself. Too many plans with others, not enough dedication to my own health. That admittedly sounds a little weird coming from a nutritionist and yoga teacher. I mean, that’s my whole shtick, right? Living a healthy life? But sometimes I fall off track. I’m not perfect. In the still of vacation, I could see that I was feeling cranky and tired because I wasn’t treating myself well. And that’s not cool.

Your health has to be your priority. No one else is going to advocate for you. You have to move your body, eat good food and think good thoughts. There’s always going to be excuses to not do these things, but you can’t let those excuses overtake you. I know we are all short on time or cash or both, but health is one area of life where you should never waver. Too busy? Spend less time on Facebook and more time in the kitchen. Funds low? Drop your cable bill and pick up a membership at a yoga studio. Reprioritize. When I was in school (read: broke college kid), I shopped at Whole Foods and many of my classmates wondered how I could afford such “expensive” food (kind of ironic considering I was in school for nutrition, so it was future dietitians asking me this). My response was always the same. I would point to their iPhone or their new shoes or their expensive handbag and simply say, “I allocate my funds differently”. I scaled back on certain things so I could afford good food. My health was my priority.

Sometimes we fall off track – and that’s okay – but it’s our responsibility to acknowledge this and then pull ourselves back on track. It’s a process, it’s a practice, and it gets easier over time. Being healthy doesn’t have to be hard, but it often requires you to make some changes in your life. If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.

I’m writing this Seacoast Healthy Living blog in order to help you make those changes and stay on track. Each week look for recipes, tips and inspiration. I’m here with you, so let’s get healthy!

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Blog Author

Erin Holt

Erin Holt is a Seacoast-based nutritionist and yoga instructor who believes in a sustainable, whole-foods approach to nutrition. The founder of Erin Holt Health, she counsels clients on plant-based nutrition, leads group cleanses and provides a ... Read Full